10 Things You Never Knew About ‘Dirty Dancing’

Grace plays in a band and is the mother to a black cat named Fitzhugh.

What could possibly be better than snuggling up with on a cloudy day with one of the best romantic dramas of all time, Dirty Dancing?

Dirty Dancing was a pretty low-budget film that didn’t really have any huge names in starring roles. Yet, it swiftly became one of the best-remembered movies in recent history. Some of the scenes are absolutely unforgettable!

Released in 1987, this movie was the first to sell over 1 million copies on home video. Perhaps it was fortuitous timing alongside the rise of home video technology that gave this film its lasting success. But I personally think it may have had much more to do with the fact that it’s simply a lovable film!

1. The Crawling Scene Wasn't Part Of The Plan

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey were just fooling around when they were crawling around on the floor, getting ready to shoot the scene. However, director Emile Ardolino liked it so much that he used the footage for the film. Good choice, if you ask everyone who has ever seen it.

2. Patrick Was Offered A Big Chunk Of Cash For The Sequel

However, even $6 million wasn’t enough to persuade him to do a sequel right away, since he hated the general idea of them so very much. He finally relented nearly two decades later when he appeared in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

4. Patrick Really Was Annoyed When Jennifer Laughed

You never know what you’re going to get when you keep the cameras rolling on two good actors. In the scene where Baby and Johnny are rehearsing and he runs his hand down her arm, Jennifer couldn’t keep from laughing because she was ticklish. The frustration you see on Johnny’s face is Patrick’s real frustration with the scene.

In the end, it was left in and is recognized as one of the most honest moments in the film.

6. Both Leads Were 10 Years Older Than Their Characters

Jennifer was 26 when she was cast as the 16-year-old, and had just a few minutes to convince casting directors that she could play younger. Patrick was 34 when he was cast to play the 24-year-old Johnny.

8. They Thought Cynthia Rhodes Was Too Pretty

Stylists had to put makeup on Cynthia when her character, Penny, was supposed to be in excruciating pain. Apparently, it wasn’t convincing enough when she went with none at all, as she was just too pretty!

9. There Were Only Two Weeks To Rehearse

There was a tight schedule to get this film wrapped, so there were only two weeks to rehearse all of the dance numbers. Then, there were only 44 days to shoot the whole shebang. Can you imagine learning all those steps and lines in such a short amount of time?